North Carolina Secretary for the Environment Dionne Delli-Gatti has named Sushma Masemore to fill the Department of Environmental Quality’s assistant secretary post.
A 13-year veteran of the department, Masemore has been serving as acting assistant secretary since Sheila Holman retired earlier this year. Masemore was named deputy assistant secretary for the department in 2018 and state energy director in 2019.
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“Anyone who has worked with Sushma knows that she has a brilliant scientific mind and is a natural problem-solver,” said Delli-Gatti in her announcement Thursday. “She is well-respected by her colleagues and uniquely suited to guide DEQ’s regulatory teams through the complex issues impacting our state.”
Her responsibilities with the department have included implementing Gov. Roy Cooper’s executive orders on climate change and transitioning to a clean energy economy. She was involved in developing the state’s Climate Risk Assessment and Resilience Plan released in 2020. She also oversaw programs related to low-income weatherization assistance, energy planning, energy efficiency and transportation alternatives.
Masemore joined DEQ’s Division of Air Quality as a permit engineer and moved into managing teams of engineers and scientists to develop air quality rules and state implementation plans.
While in the private sector, she worked in consulting with technology developers, the oil and gas industry, coal mines, electric power plants and the chemical industry on environmental issues.
Masemore earned a bachelor’s in chemical engineering from the University of Maryland Baltimore County and is a licensed professional engineer in the state.
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